Technology: LeEco launches Netflix-like online content platform

The online content scene in India seems set to get more competitive as Chinese smartphone maker, LeEco, on Tuesday, launched a new membership-based online content service. The service that includes online video on demand, live TV channels and online music streaming will be available on all LeEco devices.

The company also unveiled a new version of its popular Le1S smartphone, Le1s (Eco), on Tuesday, priced strategically lower (at Rs 10,899) than the original Le1S. The company is offering a discount coupon of Rs 4,000 that can be availed of on the smartphone. However, users need to purchase an annual LeEco Membership (Rs 4,999) featuring its online content services (Live, Le Vidi, LeEco Music) to get that offer, bringing the total to Rs 11,898. The company is also offering a further discount of Rs 1,899 on the first 100,000 units going for sale on May 12 on Flipkart, bringing down the final cost to Rs 9,999.

What is offered in a LeEco membership?It includes an annual subscription to LeEco online content services such as Live, LeVidi and LeEco Music. Powered by YuppTV, Live offers access to live TV channels on your smartphone, whereas LeVidi offers access to Indian movie titles owned by Eros. Both will be launched in India on May 26. LeEco Music will be available only on the third quarter of 2016 and will offer sound tracks via Hungama Music. The membership also offers access to live online concerts from around the world. The video content services are lot similar to Netflix, launched in India in Jaunary this year and Viaocom18’s advertising led VOD platform, VOOT, that was lauched in March this year, but are available only on LeEco devices. The company plan to make them available on other devices at a later stage.

More on the smartphoneThere’s little difference between the two Le1S devices, with the exception that the new model now incorporates a screw-less design, which, it claims, has helped reduce the cost. The Le1S (Eco) gets the same Mediatex Helio X10 SoC with 64-bit A53 octa-core processors, but clocked lower at 1.8GHz. The rest of the specs remain same as with the Le1S.

What's more?The company is also planning to launch a LeEco television set in June this year. The price and other details are yet to be revealed. Considering LeEco is hoping to build an ecosystem of products around its online content platforms, we expect the TV to run Android OS powered by the same EUI we have seen in the LeEco smarpthones.